Step by step, Crim walkers gain ground

The Flint Journal • Stuart BauerKaren Kaloydis (left) of Flushing and Peggy Soth of Swartz Creek lead as their Crim training group walks the Bradley Hills during a workout Wednesday.

FLINT -- Extreme weather, achy muscles, lots of sweat.

Better health, more friends, new feats.

It's what runners endure and relish when training for Saturday's annual Crim Festival of Races, one of the state's largest races and among the area's most-anticipated events.

But now more than ever that's the world of the walker, too. And if 2007 is anything, it's the year of the walker at the Crim, highlighted by a national magazine naming Flint the best city for walkers.

"There's much more respect than there used to be," said Karen Kaloydis, a 53-year-old Flushing resident who's among more than 300 people who have signed up for the Crim's new 10-mile walk event.

"You have runners cheering you on. Personally, this community has been really good to walkers, especially lately."

The new walk category is the major standout in a year of transition for the Crim, which boasts new S. Saginaw Street offices and a new expo site at the old Great Lakes Technology Centre.

Organizers acknowledge facing a challenge living up to last year's record-setting 30th anniversary. But they hope to impress participants and spectators alike with an array of events that'll include a state police helicopter flyover at the 10-mile start and a post-race party performance by Rare Earth, a big Motown group of the early 1970s ("Get Ready," "(I Know) I'm Losing You").

"We thought last year was the best. Well, this year will not disappoint," said Crim Director Deb Kiertzner. "It'll be just as exciting."

And the walkers might be a big reason for it.

Many turn to walking to get in shape and get rid of some flab. They find they like the pace of a walk and aren't built for high-powered running.

For Kaloydis, the Crim has become an annual rite after she and her husband took up walking several years ago to lose weight.

Since then, she's lost more than 50 pounds and discovered a new cast of friends while learning to walk long distances at a near 5-mph pace, which is faster than some people jog.

"We sometimes say we walk for food," joked Kaloydis, who now is a Crim trainer who helps others get ready for the event. "I lost 66 pounds, but I gained back 10."

Other walkers are former runners such as Susan Turnage, who helps Kaloydis in the training group.

"I was a slow runner. It turned out I was a more talented walker," said Turnage, 44, of Davison Township.

The duo's advanced group is one of 19 specifically geared toward walking in the Crim's annual training program. The program saw an overall 10 percent increase this year to more than 1,200 participants.

The surge in walkers is one reason officials cite for being able to keep registration numbers on pace with last year.

"(At last count) we were only 20 off of last year -- who knows what will happen?" Kiertzner said.

Entering race week, officials are most worried about a big logistical change from last year, moving the expo from the downtown Riverfront Character Inn -- which is next to the start line -- to the Genesee Business Center, more than two miles away at the Great Lakes Technology Centre.

Kiertzner said a free MTA bus service will be available on Friday and Saturday to help participants travel between the expo and activities downtown. There will be 4,000 parking spots at the expo.

She also said the expo will open two hours earlier on Thursday and feature more nonrunning-related booths, including several focused on home improvement.

"We're trying to increase the appeal of the expo to more than just the runners to the general public," Kiertzner said.

The 10-mile and 8-kilometer courses also have been a cause for concern because of construction on Third Avenue, but race officials have mapped out alternative routes if the roadway is not ready for runners.

Still, race officials haven't had everything go their way.

There will be no LaKisha Jones for the national anthem (she's busy with the "American Idol" tour). And after nearly 30 years, WFUM-TV (Channel 28) is no longer covering the race. The station had a popular same-day broadcast that many area racers would watch at post-Crim parties.

With so many changes, Crim officials have worked hard at keeping things the same, such as honoring longtime participants.

Eight people who have participated in all but one of the Crim's 10-mile races will be hailed at Thursday's prerace celebration, get special T-shirts and numbers, and a place among seeded runners on Saturday.

"I'm glad to see it," said John Jerome, 51, of Fenton Township.

He has a 29-year streak going.

"I hope that all of them continue running a long time ... as long as I get to run a little longer than they do."

Jerome, like many participants, said the social aspect of the Crim is part of what keeps him coming back. And despite a recent ankle injury that's kept his foot in a brace, he plans on finishing.

"If I've got to crawl, I'll make it those 10 miles," he said.

Kaloydis, who has done several Crims, also enjoys the camaraderie and atmosphere.

"You come down here and the whole city is alive," she said. "We want it to be that way all the time."